I'm trying to remember now if I ever felt that way when I've come to visit you, and I truly can't remember. But then, I don't think I ever really had to ask anyone for help in a shop. So it may simply be that the occasion never came up.

We are also quite a cynical bunch, too, so when we hear a bright "Have a nice day!" we tend to think, "Hmph! They don't mean it."

But...but...we mean it! Sooth!

But isn't it fascinating how little things like that, that we all take for granted, can be so different everywhere? There's someone on my f-list from New Zealand, and I have a sudden urge to ask him about shops and customer service personnel, and how things are perceived down there.